Coach Dale Fogelsanger is entering his 32nd year with the Messiah Falcons in 2024-25, serving as head coach of the men’s and women’s cross country, indoor track & field, and outdoor track & field teams.
In “Coach Foge’s” time at Messiah, all of his teams have combined for 28 total Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Championships, with at least one conference title for each team. He has also been named MAC Coach of the Year in each of his 31 championship seasons.
Fogelsanger has coached many individuals and teams that have qualified for the NCAA Division III National Championships, including 11 NCAA Division III National Champions: Chris Boyles (Outdoor Decathlon, 2002), Amy Reed (Outdoor Heptathlon, 2008), Kristen Bates (Indoor 55-Meter Hurdles, Indoor Pentathlon, and Outdoor 100-Meter Hurdles, 2010), Esther Seeland (five-time Champion: Outdoor 800 Meter Run, 2019, 2021, 2022 - Indoor 800 Meter Run, 2022 - Outdoor 1500 Meter Run, 2022), and Benjamin Schott (Outdoor 3,000m Steeplechase, 2019).
Additionally, through the spring of 2024, 81 of his student-athletes have achieved NCAA Division III All-American performances-- including Tim Moses who completed arguably the greatest career of any NCAA Division III Pole Vaulter with eight All-American honors in his four years with Messiah.
In his coaching career with the Falcons, Fogelsanger has been named the NCAA Division III Mideast Region Track & Field Coach of the Year six times.
Fogelsanger’s imprint on the Falcons first started when he was a sprinter for the University in the mid-1980’s. Among his many accomplishments, Fogelsanger held the school record in the 400-meter dash for 21 years until he coached his own student-athlete, Patrick Roach, to a better mark in 2008.
Fogelsanger graduated from Messiah University in 1987 with a degree in Biology before completing a master’s of education degree in Biology from Shippensburg University.
Prior to returning to Messiah University, Fogelsanger was a successful high school cross country and track & field coach for seven years, where he achieved many county and state honors. Also a former standout performer at nearby Hanover High School,
Fogelsanger was awarded with Hanover Athletic Booster Club Alumni Award in 2012.
With the Falcons, Fogelsanger goes beyond the call of competitive greatness to lead his teams towards the development of community and service. His teams have been on multiple service trips to Mexico and Mississippi, and have participated in relief projects resulting from Hurricane Katrina. His cross country teams also travel on preseason training trips, including twice to Alaska. Looking to build self-confidence and a balanced life, he integrates Christian faith to perfect the whole person. With a strong admiration for the Messiah University community, Fogeslanger desires that each season brings an opportunity for his student-athletes “to become more self-motivated, team-enriched, and Christ-centered.”
Fogelsanger and his wife, Denise, reside in nearby Dillsburg, Pa., with their three daughters, Andrea, Ashley, and Amber.
Coach Fogelsanger’s Conference Championships
| Men's Cross Country |
2008, 18, 19, 21, 22 |
| Women's Cross Country |
2003, 05, 06, 19 |
| Men's Indoor T&F |
2008, 09, 23 |
| Women's Indoor T&F |
1995*, 08, 09, 10, 11, 17 |
| Men's Outdoor T&F |
2002, 23 |
| Women's Outdoor T&F |
2006, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 17, 18, 19, 21 |
*co-champions
NCAA Division III Mideast Region Coach of the Year
| Men's Indoor T&F |
2009 |
| Women's Indoor T&F |
2009 |
| Men's Outdoor T&F |
2002 |
| Women's Outdoor T&F |
2008, 09, 19 |
Last Updated: 06/18/25